1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk array device mounting plural disk drives storing data thereto, and writing data from a host device or reading the data to the host device by controlling the operations of these plural disk drives.
2. Description of the Related Art
The disk array device is generally constructed by arranging a disk unit section and a disk controller section. In the disk unit section, plural disk drives are stored into a disk drive box body, and data are stored to these plural disk drives. The disk controller section is a portion for mounting various kinds of devices for controlling the operation of the disk array device. As these devices, a disk adapter board for controlling the writing or reading operation of data with respect to the plural disk drives, a channel adapter board for receiving data from a host computer as the host device, a memory board for storing data and control information written or read from this channel adapter board and the disk adapter board, etc. are stored into a controller box body.
A processor (SVP) for management is mounted to such a disk array device as a means for managing a state within the disk array device. Namely, this processor for management has a function for monitoring the operating situations of hardware and software within the disk array device, and transmitting monitored information (including a warning at an error generating time) to the exterior, and notifying the monitored information to a maintenance worker, a function for notifying maintenance procedure start and termination to the disk array device and preparing a corresponding state by inputting maintenance exchange work start and termination, etc. to the processor for management by the maintenance worker in breakdown part exchange at the breakdown generating time of the hardware, etc.
For example, there is conventionally a device disclosed in the following patent document 1 as the disk array device mounting this processor for management thereto.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-7-20994
A notebook type PC (personal computer) sold at a market was used as this processor for management in the conventional disk array device. However, there are the following problems when this notebook type PC sold at a market is used as the processor for management in the disk array device.
Namely, since the processor for management is arranged within the disk array device, there is a case in which an operating environment temperature is raised until about 40° C. Therefore, there is a problem in reliability in setting the operating environment (until about 32° C.) of the notebook type PC as a product sold at a market. In particular, an increase in the size of the disk array device is recently advanced, and it is considered that the operating environment temperature is raised as the disk array device is large-sized. Accordingly, the problem of reliability of the notebook type PC as a product sold at a market is more and more important.
The disk array device is operated for 24 hours for five to seven years. The processor for management as one portion of the device must be also continuously operated for the same time. However, the specification of the notebook type PC as a product sold at a market is set such that the notebook type PC is continuously used for about five hours per day for two to three years. Therefore, it is severe in the specification to mount the notebook type PC to the disk array device.
Further, since the notebook type PC as a product sold at a market is frequently changed in model, the model change is also necessary in the notebook type PC mounted to the disk array device (there is a case in which no model at a first forwarding time is sold at the breakdown time of the notebook type PC). Therefore, the notebook type PC of a new model must be verified in operation every case.
Further, the interior of the disk array device is generally cooled by arranging a fan for exhaust. However, when the processor for management is intended to be mounted to a place easy in use within the disk array device, the processor for management prevents the flow of a cooling wind so that the processor for management has a bad influence on the temperature environment within the disk array device as a result.